Seven years after her first participation, a Cannes resident returns to "Un Dîner presque parfait" this Monday on W9

Seven years after her first appearance on the cooking show "Un dîner presque parfait," Maria Solimando, 54, is back with a vengeance, bringing her signature personality to the table. The episode will air Monday night on W9. "Last time, I came in second. When this offer of revenge came along, I jumped at the chance. I've made progress in the kitchen, and I wanted to show them what I was capable of!" she exclaims.

During this shoot in Colmar (Grand Est), the Cannes resident is presented as an artist: "I dressed up as Anna Wintour and the others, I dressed them up with my creations. All the decor is mine." "I really enjoyed it," she declares between two infectious laughs. "What's more, now the teams help us clear everything away at the end of filming and everything we no longer need is recycled."

"There was a terrible competition"

This reality TV fan was won over by her opponents: "I didn't know who I was going to face and then I saw Nicolò Ferrari. No, but Nicolò Ferrari [a well-known Italian reality TV contestant]!" Without giving too much away, the fifty-year-old added: "There was a terrible competition, it was very intense, but during the six days of filming, we created a family." The Cannes resident doesn't let herself be easily destabilized. No one apart from "her Nicolò" could scare her in the competition.

"It's going to be explosive"

"After finishing the editing, the show's producer told us: 'Get some popcorn, it's going to be explosive,'" laughs Maria Solimando. She says it's been a long time since a dinner like this was filmed.

In the kitchen – even though she's improved her cooking skills since last time – she's had to deal with a few setbacks. "I cheated them. I didn't have any smoked eel, I couldn't find any in Colmar. So I used trout!" reveals the fifty-year-old. "And my risotto, oh la la, I won't say any more. I wanted to innovate, but maybe it wasn't such a good idea..."